Florida House Cat's Latest Conquest Yields New Virus Discovery

Florida virologist John Lednicky couldn’t have a more devoted research partner than his sleek black house cat Pepper.

Pepper, an avid hunter who often leaves "gifts" for his people, made news last year for his role in helping detect the arrival in the U.S. of an exotic germ called jeilongvirus. Now, he’s at it again.

Thi...

Living Near Polluted Missouri Creek as a Child Tied to Later Cancer Risk

Folks who grew up near a polluted Missouri creek during the 1940s through 1960s may have higher odds for cancer now, new research shows.

The study focused on Coldwater Creek in St. Louis County. The area was contaminated with radioactive waste from the U.S. government’s atomic bomb program during World War II.

Back then, uraniu...

RFK Jr. Fires Two Trump-Appointed Senior Officials in Ongoing HHS Restructuring

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed two senior officials who were appointed by President Donald Trump.

Heather Flick Melanson, chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, a top policy adviser, were both let go recently. The decision came as a surprise to several federal health officials.

Both wom...

Playing A Musical Instrument Might Help Aging Brains

Want to help maintain your brain health as you age?

Then pick up a guitar, start tickling a piano’s ivories or join a band.

Playing an instrument can promote a youthful pattern of brain activity, researchers reported July 15 in the journal PLOS Biology.

Specifically, older musicians were better able to understand...

Insomniacs With Inflammation Prone To Depression

Insomniacs have a much higher risk for depression if they have chronic inflammation, a new sleep lab experiment says.

Seniors with insomnia were three times as likely to report symptoms of depression if they’d been dosed with a substance that promotes inflammation, according to results published July 16 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Some Newer Antiseizure Meds Safer During Pregnancy

Some newer antiseizure medications appear to be safer for pregnant women to take without risk of birth defects, a new study says.

Second-generation antiseizure drugs like levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, gabapentin and zonisamide did not show an increased risk for birth defects, researchers reported July 16 in the journal Neurology.<...

Belly Fat Increases Stress Incontinence Risk

Middle-aged women with more belly fat have a higher risk for stress urinary incontinence, a recent study says.

Fat around the waist and visceral organs increases by 33% a woman’s risk of leaking when she sneezes, coughs or exerts herself, researchers reported in the journal Menopause.

“Abdominal obesity may cause...

Few Babies Getting RSV Antibody Shot, Study Says

A new antibody shot that protects babies against RSV infection could be struggling to gain traction, researchers report.

Only about a third (35%) of babies eligible for nirsevimab got the injection during the 2023-24 RSV season, researchers reported today in the journal Pediatrics.

That was the first season that the monoclon...

Chronically Ill Kids Carry Heavy Emotional Burden

Kids coping with chronic health problems like asthma also are struggling with the emotional burden of stress, fear and sadness, a new study says.

Almost 94% of comments posted online by chronically ill kids and their caregivers expressed negative feelings like disgust, sadness and fear, according to results published recently in the Jo...